Jimmy Rollins was s star at Encinal High School in Alameda, Calif., before he became a second-round draft pick of the Philadelphia Phillies out of high school in 1996. A three-time All-Star, Rollins was named National League MVP after the 2007 season, contributing to the Phillies' first playoff appearance since 1993. He also became a member of the rare 30-30 club, collecting 30 homers and stealing 30 bases. He was the seventh player in Major League history to hit at least 20 doubles, 20 homes and 20 steals. He went on to become a world champ, playing a vital role in the Phillies winning their second World Series championship in club history in 2008.
Rollins continues to be one of the best hitters in MLB.
Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images
What I remember most was my home run that won my second-straight Bay Shore Athletic League (BSAL) championship. It was a two-run homer and it won the game. My brother Antwon was on first and stealing second. I just wanted to make contact and get a hit. I didn’t think I’d hit the ball out. That wasn’t my intention. But it was a two-run homer during a crucial moment of a big game.
It wound up solidifying my draft status. It also won another high school championship, and when you’re that age, that’s a big deal. It helped put me more in the spotlight, to get there so scouts could see what I could do.
Thinking back about high school makes me realize that I’ve had a blessed life, with both parents, a great family. I’ve always received support. And even thought we didn’t always have everything we wanted, and you know how kids are sometimes, they can’t have enough, we always had everything we needed—and we had ourselves, our family.
It’s kind of hard to put into words what I would tell high school athletes today. They’re going to be adults very soon, very soon. But they’re being asked to do adult things, especially today, when things seem to go so much faster and everyone wants to grow up quick. As a high school athlete, you have to think about adulthood and if you love playing the game, what it could bring, if you’re serious about it.
My high school experience is what shaped me. Big hits, like the two-run homer to the win the BSAL, is what makes you the kind of clutch player pros like to see. I always wanted to come home with a dirty uniform (laughs), but the time you mess up, you do hear it the next day in school. At least I did (laughs).
In some respects, high school was like passing time for me. I always had the hope and dream of playing Major League Baseball, where I am today. I carried that big-picture attitude then, doing what I had to do to get here. This is the greatest time of my life, but it took that time to get me here.
My name was out there already with summer ball and the camps I played in. So the way I look back at it, I was already ahead of the game. I used high school to get further ahead to show how good I was. I think hitting that two-run homer my senior year sealed that.
High school was a fun time, not the greatest time, but a fun time. I think it’s why all pro players look back at that time, because it’s the time in your life where you find out where you’re supposed to be and how good you can be. It’s the time I started becoming more focused on my future and what I needed to do to get to the majors.
The best time of my athletic career was winning the World Series. But that had to start somewhere, and it started at Encinal High School winning that second-straight championship, something I’m working on right now.
Joseph Santoliquito covers high schools for the Philadelphia Daily News and is a frequent contributor to MaxPreps.com. He can be contacted at JSantoliquito@yahoo.com.
